Comeback Kid. A name most fans of hardcore are familiar with. They are one of the most popular and hyped bands in hardcore today. They put out so much emotion in all of their songs, and that is only part of the reason why they are so big. Sources say that they are all christian, but a lot of people don't know that, or deny it. Whatever, it doesn't affect their music at all. The 5-piece from Winnipeg, Canada was formed in late 2000 by Andrew Neufeld and Jeremy Hiebert, former members of the late Figure Four. Comeback Kid was originally a side project of Figure Four. Neufeld and Hiebert started it with friends Scott Wade and Kyle Profetta, because they wanted to play faster, harder music, which wasn't the style that they played in Figure Four. So, they all formed up, found a bassist (Kevin Call), and started playing. The band liked the new hardcore style that they were playing, and decided that they would stay together as Comeback Kid. In 2003, they signed to Facedown Records, and released their first full-length, "Turn it Around".

As stated before, "Turn it Around" is Comeback Kid's first full length album. Some people consider it the better of the two that have been released as of this writing; "Turn it Around" and "Wake the Dead". I like both albums pretty equally, but this one is the one that got me into Comeback Kid. "Wake the Dead" was definately heavier then this one, but "Turn it Around" is over-all just a better album.

The album starts off with "All in a Year", a very energetic song. I like it as a beginning track because it gives you a good taste of whats coming your way through the rest of the album. The breakdown in this song is awesome. It really puts you in the hardcore mood, which you will be in through this whole album. After this song comes one of my personal favorites song off the album, "Give and Take". This song always gets me pumped up. It's got great lyrics; "To find substance, to find truth. Something absolute in a stone cold world, I guess it's easier said then done." Great guitar work in there, too. I especially like the part where the guitar gets a little riff with a silent background. It's quite awesome if I don't say so myself.

After that excellent track comes yet another great track, "Die Tonight". It starts with a lone guitar playing, when the drums, and the whole band. I love the first few lines; "Something in your eyes tells me that you want more, or maybe something less. But I just won't know, standing outside looking in." Great stuff. I love the breakdown, also. It's very "jumpy", well, it's hard to explain, but its awesome. After this song fades out, comes another track, "Changing Face". This song isn't as good as the past three, but it is still excellent. This track really shines in the lyrics department, with words such as, "Show your face and take the world. But instead, you have to fit the mould." The breakdown is a real breath of life for this song. It seems like Comeback Kid really knows their breakdowns.

When that song comes to an abrupt end, "Playing the Part" comes crashing through. Its a very fast-paced song thats in-your-face throughout the whole thing. It's not the best song on the album, but it is still plausible as a good hardcore song. The lyrics aren't the best on the album, either. Still worthy of a listen, however. Next up comes another great song, "Always". This is another one of my favorites off the album. It's heavy and emotional throughout the entire song; it doesn't quit. The lack of a plausable breakdown doesn't keep this song from being one of the best on the album. The lyrics aren't that great, however. I didn't like them. Still an incredible song, however.

When that song ceases, the next track plays, "Step Ahead". This song seemed to drag for me until about halfway through where the first breakdown occurs. Good lyrics in this one also, "And I can't find anything to take me out of your shallow waters that I've been drowning in so long" are just a few of them. From the second breakdown comes the repeating chant, "Taking back what's mine". All in all a decent song. After that track comes the next song, "Operative Word". This song is, IMHO, one of the lowpoints of the album. It didn't really strike a chord with me, even after listening to it a lot. I just think its a really boring song, nothing really special to it, not much of a breakdown. I do like the line, "The blood's left on my hands, and it's up to me to wash away; its up to me to make it right, forget the past," however. Still not a great song, though.

After that song is over, comes another low point of the album, "Bitter Tongue". It's my least favorite song off the album. Even though it is the most fast-paced, it really has nothing special. No groundbreaking lyrics, no decent breakdown, nothing. And, half the song they chant, "This game we'll never win," which gets very annoying. And, due to the track being just over 1 minute long, there's nothing really going for this song. After that stinker comes a refreshing song, "Something Less". This song is definately a lot softer than the other songs on the album, but it still is energetic and emotional. Great lyrics in this one; "And last night something phased me, today, things seem so clear. The wait, the weight, the listening. And everything's so clear." The breakdown in this song is amazing to say the least.

That song ends, and the next song, "Never Fade", comes in. The album gets heavier here, as the last song was a lot softer. This song is very good, another one of my favorites. Fine lyrics such as, "I think I'm losing. Is it too late for me? I thought, I always thought I'd make it through." This song has one of my favorite breakdowns of the entire album. There are no lyrics, really, just the instruments playing. It's just so awesome. Once again, one of, if not overall, my favorites. After that song literally fades, "Without A Word" comes in. Wow, another awesome song. One of my favorite lyricsl songs on the album, with lines such as, "Another broken heart, another hit and miss. It seemed to die; it all seemed to die on my lips." As in "Always", this song does not sport a breakdown, but even more like it, doesn't keep it from being one of the best songs on the album.

Finally, the end of the album is reached with "Lorelei". An absolutely amazing song. Another of my favorites off the album. The song is about 5:30 in length, but the actual song is about 2:10 in length. It's a fantastic ending to the album, because it's heavy and hardcore, and it doesn't quit through the entire actual song. The ending chant is my favorite off the whole album, "I made a choice for me, just one mistake and it's haunting. I saw someone never wanted to be. The story's told and it's haunting." After the 2 minutes of the actual song is up, random guitar feedback and effects are played, along with what seems like a conversation between a boy and girl for a few seconds, and that is the end of a terrific album.

And there you have it. The high point of this album are definately the breakdowns. CBK knows how to execute them perfectly and let them mix into the song. The lyrics are very good in most of the songs and show a lot of emotion and thought put into them. The instruments, although a small part of hardcore, were great; not the technicals of them or the talent, just the way they were played in the songs really fit well. But that doesn't matter too much. All in all an incredible album, a must-have for any fan of hardcore.

Recommended Songs:

Give and Take
Die Tonight
Always
Without A Word
[url=http://www.facedownrecords.com/MP3%27s/FR030-Lorelei.mp3]Lorelei[/url]